Davey Tree Flipbooks

25 May/June 2021 | THE DAVEY BULLETIN PERSEVERANCE THROUGH COVID-19 Covey said the company implemented several new programs, policies, and tools – some of which were accelerated due to the pandemic – to engage and support employees. "Fairly early in the pandemic, in March and April, we did a good job of being responsive to the fast-changing pace of what was happening," he said. "We introduced work modifications and sent people remote early on. We mailed out COVID-specific PPE items right away. We gave employees 10 days of automatic paid-time-off administrative leave for COVID impacts and set up a separate COVID alert line. "We started broadcasting Townhalls," Covey said. "We launched the DaveyConnect mobile app. We launched Davey Voice. We wanted to make sure, whatever we did, we were creating the safest environment at Davey that we could for our employees and our clients and that we were providing tools that encouraged engagement and two-way communication." These and other initiatives were spurred by a commitment to Davey's six core values, Covey said. "We really leaned into our values," he said. "We believe strongly if you're an employee of Davey and you exhibit these values in your professional or personal life, you will be successful. We accomplished a lot using them as our touchstone and our reason for making decisions as a management team." GROWTH IN 2021 In the first quarter of 2021, Davey continued a trend of recording positive operating profits for the first quarter dating to 2019. "We had another great first quarter," Covey said. "It really changes the dynamic for the rest of the year when we emerge profitable after the first three months versus the losses that we had historically experienced." Work started this year on construction of the third wing addition to the corporate campus and we are moving forward on the planning and development of the East Campus research, education and training facilities. Construction of the third wing is anticipated to conclude by the end of 2022, Covey said. Construction of buildings on the East Campus will not begin until after the third wing is completed. "The East Campus is part of our long-term solution to branding and selling ourselves to a workforce who is looking for companies that will commit to them and invest in their future," he said. "It's all about recruiting, branding, keeping people, training them, and having the best educated workforce and training and research facilities in the industry. That's the vision for the East Campus." DAVEY BOARD MEMBER RETIRES Davey Chairman, President and CEO Pat Covey announced the retirement of Sandra Harbrecht, who retired following 12 years of service on the board of directors. Sandra Harbrecht Harbrecht served on the board's audit, compensation and governance committees, including serving as chair of the governance committee for the past three years. Harbrecht has been president and CEO of Paul Werth Associates, a public relations firm, since 2008 and president since 1985. Prior to that, she was a credit analyst for Bank One, Columbus NA and also an educator for 10 years in the Worthington City School system. She is past chair of the board of trustees for Kent State University and serves on the dean's advisory councils for the Fisher College of Business and the College of Engineering at The Ohio State University. Covey said Harbrecht has been an incredible asset to the company. "Sandy consistently put the employee owners at the forefront of her efforts, and every decision she's made has been about trying to do what's right for the Davey Company and our employee-owner shareholders," Covey said. "She was a tremendous asset as a board member and her thoughtful approach to dealing with board issues will be missed."

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